Nuggets
by Epiwsedis
Summary: A squadron of young Autobots head to Earth to start a training rotation alongside the Ark Heroes of legend. Will they make the grade, and how will the other Autobots react to these young upstarts?
1. Chapter 1

As the small shuttle he was a passenger on roared past the beautiful rings of Saturn, the sixth planet in the otherwise unremarkable Sol system, the veteran Autobot known as Kup leaned back in the co-pilot chair, then swivelled around and surveyed the group of young Autobots he was ferrying to Earth to start a six month posting with the elite Autobot unit stationed there under the command of Optimus Prime.

It was - as always Kup thought drily to himself - Prowl's idea. And, as Prowl was prone to doing, the wording of the decree came across as just a little bit disrespectful to anyone who wasn't Prowl.

" _It is the unanimous opinion of Autobot High Command, that the Autobot forces on Cybertron send a unit to Earth to learn from the elite Autobot detatchment, and hopefully take the lessons learned back to Cybertron to try and make some progress in the thus far unsuccessful resistance to Shockwave's occupation of our home planet."_

Elita-1 had fumed for a bit over the wording of the message, but ultimately, the plan was a good one. Optimus Prime had taken the absolute best of the Autobot forces with him on The Ark four millions years ago, and his now reawakened unit tended to take on the cream of Megatron's army on a regular basis. That was a far cry from the hit-and-run tactics against mostly drone forces on Cybertron that Elita-1, Kup and others had been employing, alongside long periods of time rotating into stasis lock for their forces to maintain the meagre energy resources they had. The troops on Cybertron were brave, but not battle-hardened. A tour of duty on Earth would be an optic opener for quite a few of them.

The question had then become "who do we send to Earth?" There had been two schools of thought, the first and most obvious one had been to send the best and brightest warriors. Kup, Ultra Magnus, Chromia, Moonracer and Firestar being the obvious choices. That in itself would be problematic for the forces on Cybertron as it would strip them of their most experienced warriors. Ultra Magnus had persuasively argued that he, Chromia and Kup had already fought alongside Optimus Prime anyway, so was there really to be gained on a tactical level from their involvement?

The second and more interesting option was to pick some younger, rawer Autobots with potential and see if they could be moulded by some time with the Autobot Earthforce. It was also pretty much a given that younger recruits would need to work extremely hard to be accepted by the tight-knit and sometimes unforgiving unit that Prime commanded on Earth. These veteran Autobots charged into the face of Megatron's fusion cannon and Starscream's seeker trine on a regular basis, they weren't just going to put their lives in the hands of any Autobot recruit.

Once this second option had been approved, Kup had thrown himself into the selection process with rare enthusiasm. He had read battle reports, discussed potential candidates with Elita-1 and Ultra Magnus and interviewed prospective candidates without letting any of them know what was at stake. Now he glanced around the cockpit of the crowded shuttle to look at his choices.

Fidgeting uncomfortably, sat on the floor at the back of the small cargo bay, Blurr looked as if there were a million other places he wanted to be right now. The lad wasn't a natural warrior, nor did he possess any great calm under fire. If anything he was a bit highly-strung and prone to panic. What he did have however was blinding speed, a good spark and – as far as Kup had noted - more bravery than common sense. He was a bright mech too, and keen to learn. Kup hoped that some time with Prime's unit, possibly under the guidance of Ironhide and Trailbreaker would help hone Blurr's instincts in combat, and he would come back a more well-rounded warrior.

Next to Blurr, sitting in calm introspection was the femme, Arcee. Kup had high hopes for her. A fearless warrior and calm head under fire, she was also a very good shot and comfortable with a range of hand-held weapons, from pistols to rifles. At the moment she was the weakest and rawest of Elita's unit of female Autobots, but Elita had suggested her for the rotation, and following a quick and pleasant interview, Kup had approved the choice. Arcee would need to learn the difference between picking off a few drones in an enclosed Cybertronian subway and trying to calmly pick your targets during full-pitched battle with Deception forces. Kup had every confidence in her. He hoped that she would gravitate towards Bluestreak, the Autobots gunner on Earth, who was also friendlier than some of the 'Bots Kup remembered working with from that unit millions of years ago. If Arcee had a weakness, it was in the cut and thrust of hand-to-hand combat. If the Earthforce accepted the new recruits, he was hopeful the twins, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, would be able to teach her a few tricks. Those two relished getting up close and personal with the enemy, and the fact they had survived for so long illustrated just how adept at close quarters combat they were.

The clang of an energo sword hitting a shield drew Kup's attention and he turned to look at the source. The young Autobot Hot Rod, the final Autobot of the three chosen, was sparring with a practice drone. As per usual, he was getting creamed, and it was clearly beginning to annoy the cavalier Autobot. Hot Rod's frustration was causing him to make more mistakes, which in turn caused him to take more hits from the drone, which in turn made him angrier.

Kup had mixed feelings on this one, but the youngster had somehow found out what the interview was about and had practically begged Kup to let him come along. There was no doubting the positive qualities he had. The lad was brave, resourceful, a decent fighter (apart from his laughable attempts at swordsmanship) and a good shot. He had upgraded some of his parts to include arm-mounted lasers and a retractable saw blade. But with the positives came negatives. Hot Rod was impetuous, impatient and ill-disciplined. Thus far the attempts from the Cybertronian Autobots to rein him in had met with utter indifference, and Kup hoped that Prime, Prowl, Jazz and Ironhide would hopefully knock some discipline into the little upstart. Primus help him if Ratchet got a hold on him, he'd disconnect his vocal processor without thinking twice. Blurr's too probably, Kup thought to himself with a wry smile.

The shuttle banked a few degrees to the right and Kup turned to focus his gaze on the shuttle pilot, Springer. A powerfully built space-faring adventurer, Springer had returned the missing-presumed-dead Ultra Magnus to Cybertron a few vorns ago, and had hung around with the Autobots doing odd jobs since then. Springer technically wasn't military, but as a pilot was needed and given Springer owned the only thing resembling an Autobot spacecraft on Cybertron Ultra Magnus had suggested his friend be involved in ferrying the Autobots to Earth. For his part, Springer had seemed quite keen to have a brief chance to actually meet Optimus Prime. Kup hoped the lad wouldn't be as overly familiar with Prime as he was to Ultra Magnus. It was odd, thought Kup to himself, Magnus was normally such a stuck-in-the-mud about rank, but he never seemed to mind Springer's way of speaking to him.

Kup himself wasn't sure about Springer. Sure he was a nice enough 'bot, easy-going and quick-witted, but the fact that Springer hadn't so much as raised a finger against a Decepticon in his life, and seemed forever set to just up and leave the Autobots to their fate on Cybertron irked Kup greatly. The Autobots were hugely outnumbered and outgunned on Cybertron and this young upstart didn't feel compelled to help at all. That just didn't sit right with Kup.

"How much longer is this gonna take?" Hot Rod's voice cut through Kup's reverie and Kup turned to see that Hot Rod had disengaged from training and was now up behind Springer's shoulder looking out the viewscreen.

"Even if I turn the engines off and we just drift towards Earth we'll be there before you ever land a hit on the practice drone," Springer said, smirking at Hot Rod.

"I'm getting better all the time!" Hot Rod protested, "Besides, I'm sure you couldn't do any better!"

"You're probably right," Springer agreed affably, "especially as I've got a shuttle I need to pilot despite continued interruption."

Hot Rod took the less-than-subtle hint and returned to the cramped aft of the ship. Truth be told, Springer's ship wasn't really designed to take this many passengers, and it was a little crowded up the back. Hot Rod's eyes had lit up when he'd seen the practice drone, and his sparring sessions had used what little room there was between the cargo section and the cockpit. Now he slumped down beside Arcee and Blurr and started to fiddle with his wrist lasers. Kup idly wondered why Springer had a practice drone on his ship, as thus far Springer had shown no indication of being proficient with any kind of weapon, or indeed having any desire _to_ fight.

Kup turned his attention to the viewscreen and the vastness of space. He was looking forward to setting foot on Earth and finally reconnecting with his old comrades. He and Prime had never been friends, but they had always respected each other. Some of the other Ark crew were close friends though. He had shared many a war story and many a quart of Engex with Ironhide and Trailbreaker, and had been a drill instructor when Jazz and Brawn first started with the Autobot army. Yep, there was a lot of catching up to be done and Kup did love a war story.

His thoughts drifted back to his times in the Autobot army before the Ark had left. Memories of daring missions, desperate rearguards, heroic counter-offensives and the less-than-tender ministrations of Ratchet when things had gone wrong flooded through his circuits.

Kup remembered leading an offensive incursion into Kaon, and fighting a desperate guerrilla war through the streets, all as a diversionary tactic so Jazz, Mirage and Chromia could destroy the Decepticons main ammunition factory. Wheeljack had not disappointed with the promised size of the blast, which must have been visible from space. He smiled as he recalled a desperate airborne dogfight, holding off Decepticon forces alongside Ironhide in a two-bot skimmer so Prime could spearhead the evacuation of Iacon. Ironhide had wrung every possible bit of speed out of that old skimmer and led the Decepticons on a merry chase. Meanwhile Kup had calmy and methodically fired, reloaded, fired, reloaded. He remembered teaching his cadets to try and clip the wings, given the close proximities of the preferred formations Seekers used, you stood a good chance of causing a collision if you clipped one just right.

Springer brought Kup out of his reminisces by irritably tapping the radar screen. He seemed slightly concerned, as he pressed a couple of buttons and held a headset to his audio sensor. A brief frown passed across his usually jovial face and he started to accelerate slightly.

"What's the problem, lad?" Kup enquired quietly.

"Radar isn't picking anything up, and I'm not picking up any frequencies on the scanner." Springer replied. "Normally there'd be some kind of background static and the odd garbled signal on the scanner. Likewise, asteroids and large bodies of mass should appear on the radar. I could accept one system malfunctioning, but both at the same time? Very unlikely."

Kup realised what Springer was hinting at.

"Someone's jamming us."

Springer nodded and continued to accelerate. The three passengers in the back, who had been privy to the conversation remained still, wondering what to do next. The only viewscreen was the one up front, and the darkness of space was all that was visible.

Kup pondered his course of action. There was no way of knowing this was the Decepticons for sure, but it matched Soundwave's usual strategy, and the Decepticons had several of their number, such as Astrotrain, Blast Off and Starscream capable of interstellar flight.

As if he could read Kup's mind, Springer spoke up.

"There aren't enough space-faring civilisations in this system for it to be profitable enough for pirates or slavers to make this a regular destination, and this ship is small fry. I think we might be about to run into some Decepticons."

Hot Rod sprang to his feet, looking excited at the prospect of some action.

"I'll man the weapons systems!" he declared, looking expectantly at Springer.

Springer frowned at the hot-headed young Autobot.

"I'm afraid you very much _are_ the weapons system, Rod. This ship doesn't have any weapons installed on it."

"You mean we're sitting ducks?" Hot Rod looked aghast at the thought of the ship being defenceless in the face of any possible attack.

 _Time to take charge_ Kup thought to himself, he sprang out of his seat and moved behind Springer, peering through the viewscreen.

"Springer, ease off the accelerator, maintain current speed and course, don't let them think we've noticed."

Springer nodded and eased back on the throttle, keeping his optics on the viewscreen. With the radar gone he would have to focus on the cold void outside. Springer was a non-combatant, but if the Decepticons boarded the vessel they would treat him no differently to the other Autobots. Kup turned to face the other three who had all stood up and were facing him expectantly. Kup ushered Blurr up to the co-pilots chair.

"Blurr, I need you to try and get the communications up and running again. We're too far from Earth for them to launch a rescue but there's a slim chance that Cosmos may be out on patrol. Don't mention Decepticons, just say our radar and communications are out and we're flying blind. Understood?"

"AbsolutelyKupyoucancountonmetogetthejobdone," replied Blurr, his hands already running over the comm set and trying to boost the signal and change frequencies.

Kup turned to face the other two. Hot Rod's optics burned bright blue as he awaited instruction. Arcee stood steadily beside him, betraying no outward fear at all.

"Hot Rod, best guess on likely opposition?" Kup barked the question to the flame-chested Autobot.

"Soundwave for sure. Given the distance from Earth I'd also assume Astrotrain, who is best suited amongst the Decepticons capable of interstellar flight for transportation of Soundwave, due to his increased capacity range and superior combat abilities."

"Also, using Blast Off for this mission would leave the Combaticons unable to combine back on Earth, and Megatron would likely not be keen to lose that asset." Arcee chipped in smoothly.

"Anyone else?" Kup enquired, both of them looking blankly at him.

Blurr spoke up from the radar console "WhataboutSoundwave'sminionswhereverhegoesyouhavetothinkhisminionswillbethere?"

"That's right, we could be looking at any combination of Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Frenzy, Rumble or Ravage. Most dangerous would be Rumble, he could destroy this ship in no time."

Suddenly the ship shook violently.

"We're under attack!" Hot Rod yelled, almost joyously as purple laser fire flew past the viewscreen.

"Springer, take evasive manoeuvres, Blurr, get me some communications up, Arcee, Hot Rod grab your weapons and prepare to repel possible boarders." Kup was already grabbing his rifle and inserting a fresh ammo clip as he barked orders to the crew. The shuttle lurched as Springer shifted to the right as another volley of laser fire clipped the hull.

"We're sitting ducks like this," Hot Rod said "why don't we open the rear doors and we can maybe a few shots of our own in, try to even the odds before they destroy us?"

Kup was conflicted. He didn't like sitting waiting to be destroyed anymore than the next Autobot, as he mulled the decision over, Springer interrupted him.

"Negative – if they wanted to destroy us they could have done so at any time since they jammed the scanners. I suspect they either want cargo, prisoners or the ship. They also don't yet know who we are, so that might give us an advantage if it's only a small force."

 _The lad knows his business_ Kup thought to himself. He nodded and moved back to Springer. The ship rocked again as more laser fire hit the outside, this time to the rear. They still didn't have a visual on the enemy force but it certainly felt like the main volley was hitting the top and rear of the vessel while smaller blasts were mostly ineffectively striking the side hull. Kup spoke to Springer quietly and calmly.

"Divert all shields to the engines, and all power you can spare to the communications array. We've got to get through to Prime."

Springer nodded and flicked a few controls. Kup and Blurr had already braced, but Arcee and Hot Rod suddenly lifted off the floor as Springer turned off the gravity, temperature and lighting on the ship, only the glow of the control panels and the bright blue optics of all the Autobots provided any illumination at all.

Blue turned to red as Arcee floated up towards the viewscreen and her targeting visor dropped over her optics. She trained her glance outside as yet more purple laser blasts were visible.

"Kup!" she said, urgently. "Positive identification on Buzzsaw, at mark seventeen point one."

Springer looked at her sceptically "I don't see anything, you sure?"

"If she says its, she's sure." Kup replied.

"Guy must be tiny," Springer muttered to himself. Before Kup could reply Blurr interrupted, his voice even more excited than usual.

"IgotthecommsbackupKup" he yelled. Kup instantly activated his magna-locks in the soles of his feet and walked to the communication array, punching in the frequency he had memorised before leaving. The comms channel wouldn't be secure, so any message would be easy to intercept for Soundwave, and he would then know it was an Autobot shuttle he was attacking, but Kup figured a rescue was their only chance now. Soundwave, Buzzsaw and most likely Astrotrain was a big ask for himself, an unarmed pilot and three rookies, no matter how brave said rookies were.

"This is Kup to Autobot Earthforce. Request immediate assistance. Shuttle under attack by Decepticon force of unknown size. Confirmed Buzzsaw, suspect Soundwave. Repeat, this is Kup to Autobot Earthforce. Under attack. Please respond. Over."

The next few seconds seemed like an eternity as more explosions rocked the ship and warning lights began to flash on the shield controls…

 _Author's notes_

 _I've always loved the new characters introduced in the animated Movie, and felt the compulsion to write somewhat of an origin story for them. This in itself presents a lot of problems._

 _The author Velvet Glove wrote an excellent series (think it's still available on lexicon) which tried to address some of those inconsistencies. Some of the main ones being Ultra Magnus as an "old friend" of Optimus Prime's, and also the slightly odd dynamic between Springer and Magnus (and latterly Rodimus in season 3) where Springer kind of feels like he is outside the chain of command. I've definitely borrowed an idea or two from Velvet Glove's series, and I heartily recommend the series to anyone with an affinity for these characters._

 _Kup as trainer/drill sergeant/mentor is an easy fit and he really is a fun character to write._

 _Blurr, Hot Rod and Arcee are the "nuggets" of the story. Nuggets is a term used in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series as a term for raw recruits. This fic is intended to show how the nuggets settle in alongside and eventually win the respect of the Season 1 & 2 Autobot Ark crew._

 _The Energon crisis on Cybertron made it pretty simple to write that a lot of Autobots were voluntarily spending time in stasis to conserve Energon, and Shockwave's "logic first " approach would dictate that he not waste reserves going after a non-threat._

 _Any and all feedback (positive, negative or indifferent) is welcome. Hope anyone reading the story finds something to enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 2

Four out of five sets of optics remained trained on the small communications console next to the co-pilot seat in Springer's small Class IV Plant Hopper, as Hot Rod, Kup, Blurr and Arcee watched for any response from their allies on Earth. Springer himself risked a quick couple of sidelong glances, even as he tried to keep his optics straight ahead, looking for Decepticon activity outside the shuttle viewscreen.

Hot Rod clenched and unclenched his fists, even though only mere seconds had passed since Kup had sent a desperate transmission to the Autobot Earthforce, informing them of the shuttle's desperate situation, it felt to the young Autobot like aeons as everyone on-board willed the communicator to respond with every pulse of their sparks. Suddenly the speaker crackled into life.

"-bot Blaster, communication received. We are sending reinforcements but it will take time, do you copy, over?"

Blurr and Arcee smiled and looked up hopefully but Hot Rod noticed Kup remained grim-faced. Kup was stoic and often borderline grumpy at the best of times, but Hot Rod could tell the veteran Autobot, who had fought a thousand different campaigns against the Decepticons over millions of years was worried.

"Shield power down to thirty percent," Springer noted as he tried to coax every possible bit of speed out of his shuttle.

"Blaster, this is Kup, please provide E.T.A of reinforcements, over."

Hot Rod realised that they were hours away from Earth. Even if the Autobots scrambled now, there was every chance they'd only arrive to find the wreckage of the shuttle and five Autobot corpses floating in deep space.

"Blaster, do you copy, over?" Kup enquired frantically into the headset.

"SorryKupwe'recutoffagainI'llseewhatIcando," Blurr was already trying to adjust the controls to the communication console, but from what little Hot Rod had read of Soundwave, the fearsome Decepticon Communication Specialist, there was little chance he would slip up again and allow further communication between the shuttle and Earth. Like it or not, they were on their own.

A massive explosion on the left hand side of the shuttle rocked all on board, even despite their engaged magna-locks. Kup suddenly snapped away from the communicator and addressed his troops.

"Blurr, forget the communicator. I want you in the co-pilot chair. See if you can find anything, a moon, an asteroid, a planet which looks solid. We're gonna need to try and land and hold them off on foot."

Even as Blurr slid into the co-pilot chair, Kup addressed the whole room.

"Ok troops, here's the plan," Kup began. "A rescue is unlikely and we won't be able to hold out much longer. Arcee – you and I are to line up by the shuttle bay doors. Hot Rod – take the door control. On my signal, we're gonna open the doors and Springer is going to drop the shields. We'll have ten seconds to get a sight of the enemy and hopefully snap off a few shots. Then we'll bring the shields back up and close the door. We'll continue doing that, and we'll do it at random intervals so they can't figure out a pattern and it might even keep them in one place. Remember people – we likely have multiple targets but aim for whoever the primary transport is. The rest are only equipped for short-range flight in space. Line up the shot and make it count. Let's go."

Hot Rod was both excited and disappointed. Excited that they were finally going to be able to get some shots in themselves and hopefully take down a few of Megatron's supposed elite Decepticons, but disappointed that he was on door opening and closing duty.

"Kup, you should man the doors and I'll take the gunner role!" Hot Rod declared with the confidence borne of youth, even as he sent a mental command to drop his targeting visor over his optics.

Kup glared at him, annoyed at his orders being questioned.

"Negative. Just operate the door console."

Hot Rod may have been impetuous but he could tell by Kup's tone of voice that he had annoyed him. So could Arcee, although Springer and Blurr gave no inclination they had heard the conversation. Hot Rod acquiesced to his commander's orders and manned the door, chastened despite the lack of an obvious rebuke.

A dull explosion sounded near the rear doors of the shuttle and Hot Rod realised that this might allow Kup and Arcee the chance to spot their aggressors early.

"On my mark." Kup's voice was calm and collected.

"Now!"

Hot Rod pressed the door release even as Springer dropped the shields. Hot Rod was slightly taken aback as the vacuum of space pulled at him but his magna-locks held firm, although a couple of unsecured knick-knacks of Springer's which had adorned his flight console shot out into the vacuum.

"Mark thirty two!" Arcee's voice crackled on the inter-Autobot radio as she let loose a volley of laser fire, Hot Rod homed in on the position and saw a white and red aircraft of strange design veer to the side to narrowly avoid the laser bolts.

"Acknowledged. Transport at mark four point three!" Kup responded even as he fired off a couple of shots from his battered old laser rifle toward a huge grey and purple shuttle. Arcee instantly fired towards the co-ordinates identified by Kup, and Hot Rod took the opportunity to snap off a few shots from his forearm lasers. All the shots found their mark but appeared to do no damage to the huge shuttle. Arcee kept firing even as a couple of blasts of purple laser fire hit the rear of the shuttle.

At exactly the ten second mark, Hot Rod reactivated the door control and it shot back down, sealing them in.

"All right we survived that!" Hot Rod exclaimed, giddy at now having got some retaliation in.

Kup frowned and reloaded his weapon, before taking up position again. Arcee followed his example even as the shuttle lurched once again.

"We've found a decent sized asteroid, and we're breaking towards it," Springer said. "If anyone feels like doing something incredibly heroic and improbably successful, now might be a good time!"

Kup gave another signal and Hot Rod and Springer again opened the rear door and dropped the shields, as Kup and Arcee located Astrotrain and the white and red Decepticon jet veering to follow them, and let loose with laserfire.

"Duck!" yelled Arcee as a small winged Decepticon suddenly swooped into the inside of the shuttle and peppered the inside with laser bolts, three of which ripped into Hot Rods shoulder and another narrowly missed Blurr's head and singed the viewscreen.

"It's Buzzsaw!" Kup yelled, even as he kept firing at Astrotrain. They couldn't now close the doors until Buzzsaw was repelled.

"Get the hell off my shuttle!" Springer snarled across the radio and whirled around in the pilot's chair, firing a blast with incredible accuracy and hitting Buzzsaw a glancing blow on the side of the head, even as Springer turned back to his controls. Stunned, the Decepticon fell backwards out of the shuttle, Hot Rod ignored the pain shooting through his shoulder and pulled himself upright to close the rear door again.

Kup looked at Springer curiously. The green pilot was matter-of-factly back at the controls doing his job, and didn't even seem to be armed.

"You mind telling me what that was?" Kup enquired gently.

Springer raised his forearm and a small compartment opened up to reveal a laser built into his forearm. He grinned at Kup and then turned back to the controls, the asteroid they were aiming for was clearly visible now.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you, lad?" Kup muttered quietly. "Regardless – good work."

The Decepticon barrage seemed to have ceased for the moment. Hot Rod wondered if retrieving the stricken Buzzsaw had taken priority. The Autobots had files on all the major Decepticons and it was known that Soundwave was fiercely protective of his cassettes. On the plus side, this meant that they had caught themselves a breather, if only for a few moments. On the downside, if Buzzsaw was seriously injured, there was every chance Soundwave would return that pain a thousand-fold on Springer. Hot Rod suddenly remembered another detail from Soundwave's file.

"Kup – if Soundwave takes us alive, he can extract information from our minds, cant he?"

Kup looked at Hot Rod, grim-faced, and nodded. This was serious. Kup was one of the highest ranking officers in the Autobot resistance on Cybertron. He knew troop numbers, deployments, formations, maps, secret bases, enough to allow the Decepticons to crush what little of the Autobots remained if they gained access to the information.

Kup switched to a private inter-Autobot channel with Hot Rod.

"If it looks like we're gonna lose, then we'll have to activate our destruct codes, if Soundwave somehow blocks that, you'll have to take me out, kid."

"Kup, I can't do that!"

"You'll have to. Do you really see Blurr or Arcee as being capable of it? And this isn't Springer's fight. That's why I picked you lad – I can see potential greatness in you, and that sometimes means being the one to make the tough decision."

Hot Rod put his hand to his injured shoulder and nodded slowly at Kup. Blurr came over to him and started to examine his injuries, even as Kup walked away. With no recognised medic on Cybertron the Autobots medical capabilities were limited to a few who were able to carry out battlefield repairs on minor injuries, and given his speed and relatively efficient fuel consumption Blurr was an ideal candidate for rudimentary field medicine. More serious injuries usually resulted in stasis for the injured Autobot. There were a lot of Autobots in stasis, Hot Rod mused to himself as Blurr gently tested his arm flexion. Stasis saved on resources, and they could hopefully be repaired by a skilled medic later, but if Soundwave did manage to extract any information from the team, he was sure to slaughter all those helpless patients.

Hot Rod steeled his spark. Kup had chosen him for a reason, and he would not let him down. He would fight until his spark failed, to prevent it, but if he had to, he would take Kup out before any information could be extracted from him. He owed the cranky old drill sergeant that much.

"Closing in on the asteroid," Springer informed the team. Laser fire had stopped for now, but the Decepticons would be back soon. Kup was up next to Springer and Arcee looking anxiously out of the viewscreen for a good location to set down and try to create a defensive position. It was going to be the most crucial fight any of them had ever been in. Hot rode swore privately to Primus that he would see the asteroid surface knee-deep in Decepticon innermost energon before they got their wretched hands on any of his companions. He looked at them – a gunner, a courier, a sergeant and a pilot. He looked down at himself – a rebel without a cause. Well he had one now – the fate of his friends. It was time to make a stand. Even as he prepared himself mentally and Blurr gave hima reassuring nod about his injuries, Kup pointed out a half-formed rocky outcrop.

"Take us down there, Springer my boy. And then lets everybody get ready to fight like the fate of the galaxy was at stake."

Springer nodded, with just the hint of a grim smile spreading across his face, and the shuttle started to descend as he worked the controls. Blurr picked up his handgun and moved to the shuttle doors, even as Arcee adjusted the setting on her laser rifle and lowered her targeting visor again. Kup crossed his arms and watched as Springer expertly set the shuttle down. Hot Rod picked up an extra rifle and moved up beside Blurr.

Time to show what they were made of.

 _Author's notes:-_

 _So this was a lot harder to write, as, whilst the first part was written from Kup's point of view and he is a very easy and rewarding character to write, Hot Rod is not easy and is not (at this stage at least) rewarding in the slightest._

 _I suppose I had to focus on Kup's faith in Hot Rod and Hot Rod's own desire to repay that faith, as the crux of this (admittedly short) part of the story._

 _As for the Decepticons – I want to portray them as the dangerous killers that they are. Whilst in the cartoon they're not the most efficient, you have to remember they're up against Optimus Prime and the cream of the Autobot forces (who outnumber them) the majority of the time. Up against a shuttle of Autobot "nuggets" they should be a force to be reckoned with._

 _Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed or favourite Chapter 1 – I hope you enjoy this and stick with me. Any additional readers are more than welcome as is any and all feedback. I do want to get better, and currently have more chapters of this story planned!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Dke78883\\\hdke - - - ERRORsourcec\\\eunown_

 _44—9/ff_

 _SYSTEMS FAILURE_

 _His bed? Well-read? Unsaid?_

 _SYSTEMS FAILURE_

"He's dead."

Arcee's voice was barely audible in the cramped passenger area of the white Autobot shuttle. She clutched the hand of her mangled companion tightly, almost trying to will her remaining reserves of Energon to flow into him.

"He's dead, isn't he?" she repeated to the unknown Autobot opposite her, a red and blue microscope who had helped her onboard, even as she and Springer carried the charred, hissing, spluttering, almost bisected form of Blurr between them. Arcee did not notice the fluids leaking from nearly half a dozen wounds on her battered form, she cared only for her friend, and was losing her temper at the microscope, even as it examined Blurr's huge wounds and the Energon gushing freely from the numerous wounds on Blurr.

The microscope transformed back into robot mode, increasing in size as he did so.

"What is your name?" he enquired. His voice was soft and polite.

"Arcee."

"Well Arcee, your friend is not dead, but you don't need me to tell you he's been badly injured. His condition is critical. I need you to tell me, as best as you can, exactly what happened to him. Can you do that?"

Faint hope stirred in Arcee's spark. She remembered Kup talking about some miracle medic the Autobots had on board the Ark.

"Are you Ratchet?" she asked, her optics gleaming momentarily.

"Alas no," he responded, albeit not unkindly. "My name is Perceptor, I'm going to get Skyfire to open a direct channel to Ratchet back at the Ark and we'll be able to get the medibay prepared for your arrival. All of you."

As he mentioned the others Perceptor gestured to the other members of Arcee's squad, littered around the cramped cargo recess within the Autobot transport. Kup and Hot Rod were unconscious, beaten into submission by Soundwave and his cassettes. Springer sat in the corner quietly his knees tucked under his chin. A few scrapes aside, he seemed fine, and had surprisingly held his own in single combat with the imposing Astrotrain. Perceptor spoke again.

"Now can you please tell me how these wounds were inflicted?"

Arcee nodded and began to recount the story of their battle on the asteroid they had so recently been rescued from.

"We'd been pinned down for a while, and then Kup and Hot Rod moved to intercept Soundwave. Blurr was using hit-and-run tactics while we covered him, but I got struck from behind by one of the flying cassettes. Ramjet got a hold of him and held him hostage. I don't think he realised we couldn't hear him in the vacuum of space, and that Soundwave was still jamming transmissions. Whatever threat or demand he made, we didn't hear it, but Springer and I dropped our guns. Then he just fired straight through his chest anyway! He kept firing while Blurr fell, that's why half his face is missing."

"What happened then?" Perceptor asked, gently.

"Springer and I charged. He took on Astrotrain and began carving chunks out of him with a sword he must have found. I tackled Ramjet and fought him. I thought he was going to kill me until those two smaller 'bots showed up. What were their names? They sure did a number on the Decepticons."

"Brawn and Windcharger," Perceptor replied. "Small but certainly powerful. The other Autobots you met are Cosmos, who is outside and Bumblebee, who is with Brawn and Windcharger onboard your ship. We are currently aboard Skyfire."

Arcee nodded and then sat back down next to Blurr. His hand was still tightly clutched in hers. Perceptor opened a communicator and appeared to be conversing with someone. Arcee didn't care to listen and instead replayed the battle in her head over and over.

It was, she reflected to herself, everything they had been trained for and they had not performed well. Small guerrilla operations on Cybertron against Shockwave's drones were light years away from the cut-and-thrust of combat against Megatron's finest. Arcee didn't know Springer's fuel reserve level before the battle, but she knew that herself, Hot Rod and Kup were all running well below 35%. Due to energon rationing, no Autobot on Cybertron, not even Elita or Ultra Magnus ever energised above 50%. It was partly why the majority of operations were carried out by the femmes. They were just a bit more fuel efficient than their male counterparts, with the exception of Blurr who was - after Moonracer - the most fuel efficient Autobot at their disposal. And now his fuel was pooling all over the floor.

Perceptor snapped up his communicator and opened a small medikit.

"Arcee," he began, in that gentle tone "Ratchet has asked me to temporarily patch some of the lesser injuries to try and conserve Blurr's energon levels. If you would help me, we could staunch the flow quicker. I understand you're a gunner, and therefore assume you have a steady hand. Will you help me?"

Before she could reply Arcee was startled as Blurr's mangled jawline started to move and one of his shattered optics rotated slightly.

"What's happening?" she asked, fearfully.

"He's trying to scream." Perceptor replied matter-of-factly. "We must hurry. Watch."

Perceptor tore a small amount of a malleable substance off a larger wad and applied it over one of the exposed wires which was leaking small spurts of purple energon. He then applied a laser scalpel to the substance for a couple of seconds causing it to harden.

"This will harden, and remain hard for several hours. It's an invention of Wheeljack's. It allows for the surgeon to focus on major injuries without needing to attend to minor areas of fluid loss. If you grab a scalpel and follow my lead?"

Arcee nodded in wordless assent and proceeded to focus on Blurr's lower midsection, even as Perceptor worked on neck and jaw area. There were so many smashed wires and fuel relays that it felt like a hopeless cause, but even as they worked, Springer joined them and took possession of both laser scalpels, allowing them to work quicker as he sealed the wounds after they had blocked them, allowing both to work somewhat faster. They worked in an eerie silence, broken only by the whirring of Blurr's optics and shattered jaw as he sporadically attempted to scream.

Arcee noticed that Springer's hands and fingers were far too big to work on the tiny exposed wires and fuel pathways, but he seemed steady enough with the laser scalpels. She didn't quite know what to make of the apparently jovial green pilot.

Elita-1 and Chromia didn't trust him, and Hot Rod had taken a pretty instant dislike to him. Ultra Magnus however- perhaps because Springer had returned him to Cybertron - thought very highly of him, and Kup treated him fairly, although Arcee suspected that Springer's professed neutrality in all matters concerning the war really irked Kup. Kup tended to see the world in black and white.

Arcee herself had found both Springer and Ultra Magnus hard to figure out. In most respects they were very unlikely friends. Ultra Magnus, whilst apparently a fine warrior (although Arcee had never seen him in combat) was, frankly, a bit dull and officious. Springer on the other hand didn't seem to care too much about anything and lived his life on a day-to-day basis. If he knew that the majority of the Cybertronian forces considered him a coward for his professed neutrality he certainly gave no outward indication of it.

Arcee had far more fondness for the other members of her squad. Kup had been a wonderful mentor to her, sharing stories of his extensive experience and always taking time to check up on her and his other protégés whenever possible. Kup could be gruff – downright rude on occasions – but he really cared and beneath his tough exterior had a spark of solid gold.

As for Hot Rod, Arcee was well aware that he had a tendency to drive his superiors round the bend, but he was a loyal, kind and well-intentioned young 'bot, who would charge headlong into battle at a moment's notice. Whilst Hot Rod's impetuous nature and desire for combat rubbed his superiors up the wrong way, Arcee knew that Hot Rod believed that every opponent he took down was one less weapon aimed at his friends and team-mates. He acted the way they did out of his foolish but brave desire to save everyone.

As for Blurr – poor, wounded, dying Blurr who continued to convulse and twitch even as Perceptor, Springer and Arcee patched his wounds as best as they could, Arcee had been instantly drawn to the hyperactive young Autobot. In a world without war, Blurr could easily have been a sporting star and a celebrity. Instead, the gentle-natured Blurr had been pressed into combat, despite being unsuited for it, both in his lightweight construction and his kind-hearted eager-to-please nature. Blurr's bravery was to his credit, and his blinding speed had been an asset to the underground forces of the Autobots. Now he lay on the floor of Skyfire's cargo hold perilously close to death, and Arcee couldn't help but blame herself, even though she knew that Blurr had fought willingly and exposed himself to danger of his own accord.

"Coming up on Earth now," an unfamiliar voice almost as gentle as Perceptor's cut through Arcee's reverie, announcing their imminent arrival at Autobot headquarters on Earth. _That must be Skyfire's voice_ , Arcee thought to herself. Arcee was surprised at the Autobots she had met thus far. She had not spoken to Brawn, Windcharger, Bumblebee or Cosmos, but Perceptor seemed a very kind and diligent mech, and Skyfire's voice also indicated a gentle soul. Arcee had assumed Prime's unit to be as rough and tumble as they come, certainly from hearing Kup recount tales of his adventures with Ironhide, Prime and Trailbreaker, yet neither Perceptor nor Skyfire sounded like a rough-and-tumble hard-bitten warrior.

Perceptor finished sealing one last wire and then stood up, beckoning for Arcee and Springer to stop also.

"We've done all we can for now. Prepare yourselves for landing, and if possible stay out of the way. There will be a team coming on board to transport the injured to the medical facilities. They'll be treated first but I am to escort you there as well, where you will both receive a check-up from Hoist, and if necessary, be scheduled for repairs."

Springer stood up and walked over to the far corner, sitting as far away from the exit as possible. Arcee shrugged and moved over to sit next to him.

"Thank you for helping with Blurr," Arcee broke the silence, quietly.

Springer kept staring straight ahead, but a hint of a sad smile appeared on his face.

"Least I could do."

The pair sat in a miserable silence as Skyfire landed. His doors opened and instantly two similar looking Autobots, one predominantly red, the other a golden-yellow ran on board with a medical gurney, which they gently loaded Blurr onto, before taking him away at Perceptor's behest. The pair looked very alike, but the golden one was possibly the most beautiful looking mech Arcee had ever laid optics on. Even as they took Blurr away two more Autobots entered the ship - one green with a gentle face and the other a grumpy looking red and blue minibot -to load Kup onto a similar gurney and take him away. The green one flashed a quick sympathetic look in the direction of Arcee and Springer, but otherwise the pair were ignored as the wounded were attended to.

Evidently medibay was short on equipment, as instead of a gurney, Hot Rod was picked up gently by a huge, terrifying-looking robot with silver wings on his back and a red-crest topping his not unkind-looking features. Despite the large mech's powerful looking build he lifted Hot Rod gently and then proceeded to walk with great care behind the two gurneys.

Arcee rose and walked out of the hold, with Springer trailing a few paces behind her. She took her first few steps on alien soil and realised that the fate of her dear friend was in the hand of a group of Autobots she had long thought only a myth. She hoped that Ratchet could help Blurr. If not, she swore that the Decepticons who had injured him would pay for their actions. With purpose and vigour in her step she followed the procession of Autobots into their new home, The Ark.


	4. Chapter 4

Springer trudged wearily behind Arcee as they exited Skyfire behind the assembly of Autobots ferrying the wounded. After a few steps Springer looked back to see the white shuttle they had been on board transform into a large Autobot. Skyfire was actually taller than Ultra Magnus, who until that point had been the biggest Cybertronian Springer had met during his life. Turning his attention forward once again Springer looked at Arcee.

The young femme was injured, but gave no sign of noticing. Her face was set with grim resolve as she trudged towards the entrance of the Ark, occasionally looking round to take in the new surroundings. Springer himself had seen dozens of alien planets, but he realised this might be her first. _Not the ideal circumstances to arrive in,_ Springer thought idly to himself. He thought about offering her some reassurance, but instinct told him not to bother. He had received somewhat of a cool welcome from the Cybertronian Autobots, right from the moment he broke orbit above Cybertron and was attacked by a Decepticon patrol. Thankfully Ultra Magnus had taken a very short amount of time to dispatch their attackers with his shoulder missiles, and they had managed to land far away from Polyhex, in the outskirts of Iacon. They had soon found themselves looking down the barrel of an assortment of weapons wielded by Elita-1's troops, and it had taken Ultra Magnus proving his identity to save them.

The entrance of the Ark gave way to a garish orange interior of a crashed very ancient spaceship. The procession of Autobots followed a couple of corridors, before they arrived at a small medical facility, behind a set of sliding automatic double doors. A white Autobot with red crosses on his shoulders was giving calm, clipped orders.

"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker – get that one under the UV light there. Wheeljack, I want a spark scan for shrapnel or lacerations, it looks like the integrity of the casing has been compromised, I'll prepare for surgery to the fuel pump immediately, and we'll stabilise that before the scan is finished."

Springer watched, morbidly fascinated from where he and Arcee stood just inside the entrance. The red and gold mechs whom Ratchet had addressed instantly moved Blurr's gurney under a light in the centre of the room and another robot of similar size to them with a mouthguard started attending to equipment. The white mech had turned his attention to a small mech of similar design, but also sporting a mouthplate.

"First Aid," he began, pointing towards the gurney that had just been deposited next to a nursing station by the combination of the peaceful looking green Autobot and the grumpy minibot, "the grey and green mech on that gurney is called Kup. I'll introduce you properly later, but he doesn't seem to be in immediate danger. There's a very serious possibility that if we revive him too soon he'll tell war stories for days on end, so I want you to patch his wounds, run diagnostics on fuel pump, transformation cog and brain module, then give me a recharge level on him."

"Yes Ratchet, right away." The response from the other Autobot was gentle but businesslike, and he immediately set to the task as the stretcher-bearing Autobots all filed out the door. They had to squeeze past Springer and Arcee as they did so, with the golden Autobot scowling at the pair of them, and the gentle green one offering a sympathetic look of reassurance to Arcee as he left.

There were three other occupants in the room, the large winged mech that still carried Hot Rod, a dark green mech about Ratchet's size, and a small organic alien.

"Pop him over here, Swoop" the dark green Autobot said genially to the winged Autobot, indicating another, smaller nursing station. Hot Rod was gently laid down in the berth as the green Autobot had instructed.

"You Hoist fix him? Can me Swoop help?" Swoop's voice was high-pitched and excitable. Not quite what Springer would expect coming from such a fearsome, powerful-looking individual. He sounded quite young actually, Springer noted to himself as he observed the exchange.

"Not this time Swoop." Ratchet's voice cut in. "The medibay is gonna be a little busy and it might be best if you go back to your quarters with the other Dinobots."

Swoop's face visibly fell, but he trudged towards the door as directed.

"Swoop?" Ratchet was looking at him.

"Yes, Ratchet?" Swoop replied.

"We'll get you back in here once things settle down, don't worry."

Looking visibly reassured, Swoop headed towards the door, then suddenly stopped and faced Arcee and Springer. Despite being powerfully built, Swoop was only a head taller than Springer himself. He reached out his right hand towards Arcee.

"Hello, me Swoop, me Dinobot."

Arcee looked at his outstretched hand, blankly. Springer was familiar with alien customs so took the initiative. He took Swoop's hand in his and shook it firmly.

"Hi Swoop, my name is Springer. It's very nice to meet you. This is Arcee." He released Swoop's hand and Arcee in turn followed his lead and shook it. Swoop squawked excitedly and smiled.

"Me Swoop happy to meet you too. Me Swoop think you shouldn't be sad or worry about your friends – him Ratchet the best medic on all of Earth. Him Ratchet fix your friends and then you Arcee, you Springer and all your friends can come meet rest of Dinobots! Me Swoop has to go now but hope to see you soon. Bye!" With that Swoop headed out through the medibay doors and walked off down the corridor.

"Sweet kid." Springer murmured quietly to Arcee as they watched the door close behind the affable Dinobot. Springer had no idea what a Dinobot was – neither the term Dinobot nor the name Swoop had cropped up in all the stories about the legendary Ark heroes that Kup was prone to telling - but at least they seemed friendly. Ratchet, who hadn't paid them any attention whatsoever, was now busy at work deep within Blurr's shattered form. The mouth-plated mech who had been working the scanner seemed to be acting as his assistant, passing him different tools as the medic murmured commands to him.

Hoist looked up from where he and the small organic alien were examining Hot Rod and addressed the pair of them. He pointed towards a bench in the corner of the room.

"If you could both sit there, we'll get to you in due course, thank you."

With no other option Springer and Arcee moved over to the bench and sat down. Beyond the brief interaction with Swoop, Arcee's optics had not left the centre of the room where Ratchet now worked on Blurr, occasionally speaking in hushed tones with Wheeljack, whose fins glowed blue as he replied to the medic. Springer leaned back against the wall and realised for the first time that the events of the day had really shaken him. He'd been in the odd scrape or fight before in his life of course, but he'd never really fought in a battle anything like as ferocious as the one that had taken place hours before on that remote asteroid.

The Autobot squad had been completely overmatched and the Decepticons had been merciless, clinical and cruel. All of Springer's preconceived notions about war, fighting, adventuring and codes of conduct had gone out the window. When Blurr - one of the more genial and friendly 'bots Springer had encountered since his arrival on Cybertron - had fallen, rage had taken over him and he had charged at Astrotrain, fully intending to cleave the Decepticon's head from his shoulders. It was not a pleasant feeling to think back on it – soldier he may not be, but Springer knew that he was a very powerful mech. That power, combined with his swordsmanship skills, made him a formidable opponent who could very easily cause irrevocable harm to a being if he lost control of himself.

Springer had always told himself he was no fool. He knew the Cybertronian Autobots hadn't cared much for him after his declaration of neutrality and his informing Ultra Magnus and Elita-1 that he was not going to take up arms for the Autobot cause. He also knew that every polite enquiry from the likes of Kup, Moonracer and Arcee (and the impolite ones from Hot Rod, Elita-1 and Chromia) about when he was leaving were subtle reminders that he was imposing upon their hospitality. Ultra Magnus had, of course, given him leave to stay as long as he wanted, and Springer had taken him up on that, claiming that the increase in aerial patrols since their arrival made it too risky to try and leave now. That was half-true, but in truth Springer had grown fond of Ultra Magnus, and was reluctant to return to space-faring life on his own. He had half-hoped that Magnus would see the Autobot's situation on Cybertron as hopeless and decide to leave with him, but Ultra Magnus' sense of duty and loyalty rendered that notion as a non-starter.

Suddenly alarms and klaxons sounded on the machines hooked up to Blurr and Ratchet started frantically attaching different pieces of equipment to Blurr's shattered form, which had started twitching.

"Critical systems failure! First Aid – we need a Positrex-3 saturate to boost his spark circulatory!" Wheeljack's fins flashed blue as he yelled orders to First Aid. Arcee leapt to her feet and moved over to where Ratchet was pinning the convulsing Blurr to the slab.

"What's happening?" Arcee put her hand on the medic's shoulder as he wrestled with Blurr before Springer could stop her.

"GET THEM OUT OF HERE!" Ratchet roared as he continued to wrestle with Blurr. Springer put his arm around Arcee and started to gently but firmly ward her toward the medibay doors as Hoist approached to apologetically force the two out into the corridor, even as First Aid pulled a crash cart full of glowing blue vials to join Ratchet and Wheeljack at the operating table. Springer was sure he caught Ratchet giving him a quizzical, almost suspicious stare as the medic looked him up and down briefly. _He better not have guessed,_ Springer thought to himself with a flash of panic. He risked a quick look back but Ratchet was once again engrossed in his life-saving work.

The medibay doors slid shut and the lock turned red, indicating no entry. Arcee and Springer stood in the dimly lit orange corridor, exhausted and stunned. Arcee looked on the verge of drawing her guns and blasting her way back into the medibay so Springer decided he had better intervene.

"Arcee," he began gently "I know it's horrid to see, but Blurr really is in the best hands. They'll do everything they can for him, and it's better that we don't distract them. I don't know Blurr well, but he strikes me as a brave kid with a strong spark, and hopefully he'll pull through for you guys. But we need to get away from here, ok?"

The pink femme looked back at him, her optics a far darker blue than normal. For a moment Springer was briefly fearful that she had turned the object of her rage from the medibay doors to himself but after a few moments that seemed to stretch out for an eternity, a lighter shade of blue seemed to return to her optics and her shoulders slumped as the rage left her body.

"Yes, you're right Springer. I'm sorry, I'm just worried. He's one of my closest friends, and to see him like that…" her voice tailed off and she looked wistfully toward the medibay door again.

"Look, let's go see if we can find somewhere to sit down, they seem to have forgotten about us in all the kerfuffle. Maybe it'll take your mind off things until we get some news on everyone's condition?" Springer's mind raced as he made the suggestion. They were in the home of some of the most legendary Autobots of all-time and they appeared to have been abandoned. He was also dangerously low on Energon, but if needs be he could get back to the recharge berth on his ship, assuming the minibots who had shown up during the fight had piloted it back ok. The thought briefly entered Springer's head that he could deposit Arcee with some of these alleged Autobot legends then sneak aboard his shuttle and leave, returning to his life of interstellar wandering. It was a tempting thought.

"No sense going back the way we came," he said. "Let's follow the corridor on for a bit, and see if we can get some directions from somebody."

Arcee nodded in agreement and the pair started walking down the corridor. They hadn't got far when they saw a pair of Autobots walking down the corridor towards them. The gentle-faced green Autobot from before was one of them, and with him was a taller black-coloured mech. They both carried Energon cubes. Before Springer or Arcee could speak, the green one smiled and spoke first.

"There you guys are! Wheeljack sent us a message to say Ratchet had kicked you out. We were just coming to find you and see how you were doing after your…errr…experiences in getting here."

"We're fine, thanks." Springer replied just a little too quickly. A brief moment of awkward silence followed, broken by the other mech.

"I'm Trailbreaker and this is Hound, who seems to have momentarily forgotten his manners. I'm the Earthforce's defensive strategist, and Hound here is our scout." Trailbreaker repeated the handshaking gesture that Swoop had used before, and Springer and Arcee shook both his and Hounds hands.

"I'm Arcee, gunner-in-training for the Cybertronian resistance under Elita-1"

"And I'm Springer, glorified interstellar taxi service for new recruits."

Hound looked at him quizzically but Trailbreaker guffawed heartily and then both he and Hound proffered the Energon cubes that they had been carrying.

"Nice to meet you both," he said amiably "we thought you might be in dire need of an Energon fix, so we brought you one of these each," he continued as Arcee and Springer both drank from the cubes. _Not bad for army rations_ Springer surmised to himself, even as his internal fuel gauge rose steadily from the danger level of nine percent it had been hovering at. Orally-ingested Energon wasn't the best way to recharge but could often provide a quicker boost, which, if done in sufficient quantities acted akin to the intoxication effect that organics could get from certain drinks. The lower one's internal fuel level, the easier it was to feel those effects. Springer forced himself to drink a bit slower with that in mind. Hound and Trailbreaker offered to give the pair a tour of the Ark, and with nothing better to do, Arcee accepted. Springer dutifully followed behind as they wandered down the corridors of the Ark. Crew quarters, main briefing room, the bridge (which doubled up as a briefing room for the command unit) the brig, store rooms, and finally they ended up in the rec room.

The rec room was a large room with several long benches hastily thrown together around a few tables. A couple of Energon dispensers stood at the top end of the room with a supply of fresh cubes. A handful of smaller Autobots sat around one of the tables.

Hound, who had chatted amiably with Arcee for the majority of the tour, guided Arcee and Springer toward the small gathering of mechs. Springer recognised one of the Autobots, a yellow and dark green minibot who had been part of the rescue squad on the asteroid. He had punched Ramjet so hard the Decepticon had been propelled nearly half a kilometre across the asteroids surface. Hound introduced him as Brawn.

"Your friend's in good hands with Ratchet," Brawn said. "When he's back on his feet we'll pay the Decepticons back with added interest, you have my word on that!" The minibot cracked his knuckles as he spoke and Springer suddenly felt a dash of sympathy for any Decepticon unfortunate enough to get in his way.

"Just save a little piece of them for me as well Brawn," a red minibot sat next to him piped up. "I'm Cliffjumper, and you better believe that I'll be part of any payback mission. Welcome to the team you two!" Cliffjumper raised his Energon cube in welcome and his companions followed suit. Hound and Trailbreaker also raised theirs, so Arcee and Springer reciprocated the gesture and everyone drank heartily.

Even as the pleasing sensation of the Energon hit Springer's internal mechanisms, the final member of the party was introduced by Trailbreaker.

"Springer, Arcee, this is Seaspray."

"Nice to meet you both," Seaspray spoke with an odd affectation to his voice, and as far as Springer could tell appeared to be designed for a marine environment.

The minibots shuffled up the bench to make way for the newcomers, but Trailbreaker's communicator beeped and he excused himself. Hound and Arcee sat down next to Brawn and Springer popped his large frame down next to Seaspray. Soon the group were chatting heartily and exchanging stories. Arcee wanted to learn about Earth, and the other Autobots were keen to hear how Cybertron was doing in their absence. After about twenty minutes Trailbreaker returned with a smile on his face.

"Just got a message from the medibay" he smiled. "Doc Ratchet does it again. Your friend Blurr is out of critical and in a stable condition."

Arcee leapt from her seat and hugged Trailbreaker as the larger robot grinned widely.

"Steady on," he joked as she thanked him profusely.

"Gotta hand it to Ratchet, he's a miracle worker!" Brawn chuckled aloud to the table as they all smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Well then here's to Doc Ratchet," Springer said, raising his Energon cube in a toast, which the others eagerly took up.

"Ratchet can be terrifying, but beneath that exterior is a spark of solid gold, believe me." Trailbreaker said, smiling. "I've got some more news as well – oh, more company!"

The sound of hasty footsteps caused Springer to turn his head. An agitated looking mech was approaching the table. His design was very similar to that of the two mechs who had stretchered Blurr to the medibay.

"Red Alert!" exclaimed Cliffjumper with a wolfish grin on his face, "come to join the party!"

The newcomer visusally recoiled at the suggestion.

"I've got far more pressing concerns with security than to find time to assist you all in turning the rec room into a speakeasy!" he scolded. "I have critical information to pass on!"

He turned to face Arcee and Springer. "I'm Red Alert, Head of Security. I'd like to welcome you both to the Ark. You're free to travel wherever you like but with the following restrictions. Arcee – you may not enter the bridge, brig or Prime's office unless authorised to do so by either myself or one of the command structure. You will be treated as one of the crew, albeit on a probationary status with all the rank and privilege associated with such status, and also subject to the same disciplinary procedures. A copy of the code of conduct is available once you receive access codes to Teletraan, I'm sure it doesn't vary hugely from that of the Cybertronian forces."

Arcee nodded wordlessly as Red Alert finished. Springer was a touch taken aback at the formality of the Security Head's welcome. Red Alert was not finished however, he turned to face Springer. _Here goes,_ Springer thought to himself.

"Springer, as a non-combatant you will be treated as our guest until such time as you decide to leave the planet. You must not travel throughout the ship without an escorting member of the crew, although probationary members will be allowed to serve as escort. You may not also leave the vicinity of the Ark without prior permission and you must notify either myself or a member of the command crew of any excursions you wish to take. You will not receive access codes to Teletraan, nor will you be added to any rota or rosters. You will however receive a copy of the current duty roster so you can arrange off-duty escorts for any activity you wish to undertake."

Springer bristled a bit. His movements were not restricted in this way on Cybertron, but he did have the bonus of Ultra Magnus vouching for him and also being in a position of authority.

"Sounds a lot to me like I'm your prisoner. That doesn't strike me as particularly polite after I ferried your new recruits here." Springer said evenly.

"You're not a prisoner, but you are a security risk," Red Alert continued, unaware of Springer's growing anger. "One other thing – I will need to take your weapons."

This was too much. Springer rose from his chair and towered over Red Alert, who suddenly realised how big the mech he was addressing was. He showed no fear however.

"I _will_ need to take your weapons."

"You'll have to take them, because I'm not going to give them to you."

Red Alert spluttered with indignation. "It's Ark policy! No unsupervised weapons!"

"It's _my_ policy not to go without my sword and gun."

From the corner of his vision, Springer noticed the eager red minibot, Cliffjumper, taking his gun out of sub-space. Arcee looked conflicted about whose side she would be on if a fight broke out. It looked like things were about to escalate quickly unless somebody backed down. Springer had no doubt that he could easily best the jumped-up little twerp of a security director, and possibly one or two of the others also, but he wasn't sure at all about taking on Brawn or Trailbreaker, and he had seen Arcee's combat prowess up close also. He suddenly felt very alone. Thankfully Trailbreaker forced himself between the two opposing mechs.

"Look, let's all keep calm, shall we? Red, these guys have had a very stressful day, and I don't think the best welcome to give them is to lock up their pilot. Ratchet will be discharging Kup tomorrow and maybe he can help us decide on this matter. The whole command crew wants to speak to them all tomorrow morning as soon as Kup is discharged for a debriefing and to formally welcome the recruits. We can decide on rules and regulations then."

Springer remained impassive even as Trailbreaker turned to face him.

"Is that enough to satisfy you for now?" Trailbreaker's tone was a lot less jovial than it had been previously. Springer surmised that he possibly didn't like newcomers squaring up to his friends. In fairness, thought Springer, he couldn't really blame him.

Springer nodded wordlessly, his optics not leaving Red Alert's. He smiled mirthlessly, sat back down and turned his gaze to his Energon cube. Red Alert turned to leave and Trailbreaker accompanied him, the two speaking in low voices as they left. An awkward silence filled the air, and Brawn, Seaspray and Cliffjumper all made excuses and left fairly quickly after that.

"That went well." Arcee looked at Springer with a rueful look in her optics. "Last thing we need is to find ourselves disliked by our own team."

Hound had remained with them, and he spoke up, providing reassurance.

"Don't worry about it. Red Alert is really highly-strung, but he's honestly not a bad 'bot. He'll cool down, and hopefully you'll all realise it's just a misunderstanding. A lot of the rules are because of the danger we can place the inhabitants of the planet in."

Springer decided he liked Hound. He seemed pretty genuine and caring, and had stuck with them after all the other had left. From his general chat during their tour of the Ark it sounded like he cared for his companions and was absolutely smitten with the planet they were on.

"Anyway," Hound continued, "I also have to escort you to your quarters. Arcee – you've been given your own room. Springer, you're rooming with Blurr, so it might be a few days yet before you have company."

The Autobots all rose from their table and Hound led them back down towards their quarters. Arcee was dropped off first, and Springer's room was three doors further down. He thanked Hound, and then closed the door and looked around his new temporary home. Two recharge slabs, a desk, a chair and some datapads. Prison suddenly seemed like an attractive option. He lay down on his slab and reflected on the day.

It hadn't been one of his best ones, but an unbidden memory brought a smile to his face. When discussing the possibility of an altercation, Arcee had said 'we' in relation to being disliked. Springer smiled. Maybe he had a friend here after all, and definitely a more attractive one than Ultra Magnus.

Springer plugged himself into the recharge berth and prepared to go into shut down. A part of him welcomed it. It had been a long, long time since he had been able to really shut down and recharge to maximum operating levels. Plus in the morning he would get to meet a real-life, living Prime. _Better be at my best for that_ , he thought to himself as he shut down.

 _Author's note – first of all, big thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favourited or reviewed the story thus far. The engagement is what drives me to keep going, and I hope I'm getting better for you all._

 _Some notes on characters. Obviously I couldn't introduce all of the Autobots at once, but I will be trying to drip-feed them into ongoing chapters of the story, should there be sufficient interest for it to continue. Ratchet was an absolute tier-1 character to introduce as he really is the heart-and-soul of the Autobot cause. Swoop was a fun choice, because much as these "nuggets" are outsiders, Swoop could technically be considered the 'outsider' of the Dinobots, due to his friendlier, more outgoing nature._

 _Hound always struck me as a friendly, welcoming character, as did the much under-used Trailbreaker, who always struck me as having some authority amongst the crew. The minibot selection was also fun. Brawn because I love his character, Cliffjumper because he's a fun little hot-head, and Seaspray because he gets no love._

 _I must mention – I'm a fan of Red Alert, and even though he caused the conflict here, he is absolutely just trying to do his job, but maybe lacks some people skills. He's going to feature a bit more in upcoming chapters, and he's definitely not a villain or bad guy by any stretch of the imagination._

 _Quick note on Springer:- he's a joy to write, which is why he also features strongly in my story "Broken Soldiers" which I hope some of you take the time to read. In regards to Springer's fighting abilities, his original tech specs had his Strength and Endurance as 10. This makes him equal with Optimus Prime and Grimlock, and ahead of the likes of Magnus, the other Dinobots, Ironhide and Brawn amongst the Autobots. That's why he is so confident._


	5. Chapter 5

"Easy First Aid, bring the Energon level up slowly and let him just ride the curve. He's got much older internal systems than most other 'bots."

 _Darkness. Voices. Internal systems rebooting and diagnosing_.

"Yes, Ratchet. That's his systems all coming back online now. Nice and smooth."

"Good job, kid. Energy levels are at 57%. Looks like all three of our patients have been running at less than 45% for a long, long time. The fuel situation on Cybertron must be very bad indeed."

Kup's optics suddenly lit up in a burst of light blue, and the sight of dull, damaged orange spaceship walls flooded his display. The servos in his neck, shoulders and arms sprang to life as he instinctively tried to sit up, only to feel a forceful hand on his shoulder preventing him from doing so. A stern but familiar face loomed into view and Kup couldn't help but smile.

"Easy does it Kup, you've had a tough couple of days." Ratchet almost looked to be holding back a smile. Kup placed his hand over Ratchet's and slowly sat up, assisted by the Autobot Chief Medical Officer.

"Even a four million year dirtnap can't keep your cranky bedside manner down, can it Ratchet?"

"Ha! The day you patch me up you get to decide on bedside manner, you old warhorse." Ratchet stepped back to allow Kup to take in his surroundings. He gestured towards a smaller medic standing next to him. "This is First Aid, one of the Protectobots. He's been helping me look after you and your squad." First Aid waved at Kup a little gawkishly, and Kup responded with a smile and a nod of recognition.

Kup instantly turned to look around the room. He saw Hot Rod, unconscious on a nearby station.

"How are they doing?"

Ratchet gestured towards Hot Rod.

"That one should be up and on his feet in a few hours. The femme just needs some minor patching, I'll schedule for her to see Hoist later on today. Your pilot got by with just a few nicks and scratches, but I, uh, would very much like to schedule him for a check-up here as soon as possible."

"What about Blurr?" Kup enquired gently, ignoring Ratchet's curiosity over Springer.

Ratchet pursed his lips. When he spoke he tried to portray his usual gruff demeanour, but Kup could tell the medic was exhausted.

"I'm afraid he's through the back on life support. His condition is no longer critical but his spark requires external core function stimulus while it repairs its own internal matrix. We removed all the shrapnel, but it will take time. I stripped away most of his unnecessary bodywork to enable the spark to focus on healing. Most of his body was mangled, and I don't have enough supplies to affect repairs. Most of his right side was beyond scrap. They got him good."

Kup had seen many soldiers fall in battle before, but he had never gotten used to it. It seemed like just dumb rotten luck had seen his squad ambushed by the Decepticons, and now Blurr was having his life powered by an external stimulus.

The door to the medibay swished open and Jazz entered. He nodded towards Ratchet and then saluted to Kup.

"Kup – glad to see you're back on your feet. Prime has requested your presence in the briefing room if you're up to it. You too Ratchet, full command group."

Kup stood up and flexed a few of his motor servos.

"I'm more than up to it, lad. It'll be good to see the familiar faces and to get our unit started on active duty. Lead the way."

Ratchet moved towards one of the repair bays.

"I've got a couple of things to finish up here, but I'll just be a couple of minutes. You two go on and I'll catch up."

Jazz and Kup both turned and exited the medibay with Jazz gesturing for them to take a right turn outside and they started strolling up the dimly lit orange corridors of The Ark. Kup had known Jazz back when Jazz was just a promising young recruit, long before the affable young 'bot had displayed the skills that would earn him a career in Special Operations. At the time Kup had been a drill sergeant in basic training and had in fact been one since before the official outbreak of war, although in those days it had been mostly a peacekeeping force he had been training.

Kup had in his time trained - or been responsible for the training plans - of almost every Autobot who had fought in the war. It was only natural that his assessments had been referred to High Command whenever information on possible unit transfers and mission personnel was needed.

As he and Jazz strolled through the Ark, Kup noticed the minimal lighting and damaged areas of the ship which had been left unattended. It looked like raw materials and Energon may not be as plentiful as he had imagined here on Earth, although he accepted the possibility that frequent conflict with Megatron would require most of the Energon reserves to be put towards weapon maintenance.

Jazz stopped and opened a door and motioned Kup to enter. The briefing room was well lit and had seven chairs around a central desk. Three chairs were occupied, and the mechs all stood as Jazz and Kup entered. Optimus Prime was in the centre of the three, his presence, both powerful and reassuring seemed to fill the room.

"Kup, it's good to see you are back on your feet. I was sorry to hear of the injuries sustained by your squad during their journey here, but I was also inspired at their survival, they are a credit to you and a tribute to the bravery and skill of our forces who still fight on Cybertron."

"Thank you Optimus. It's good to be here."

Ironhide, standing to the left of Optimus cut in, moving up to shake Kup's hand and heartily slap him on the back.

"Well it's more'n good to have you here, we needed an antique to show to the troops to keep morale up!"

"This antique has still seen off more Decepticons than you and all of your fancy-dan crew together, you old rust bucket!"

Ironhide laughed. "Well maybe, since I had a four-million year nap it might have let you pull ahead a bit!"

Kup turned his gaze to the other figure in the room.

"Prowl, nice to see you."

"Kup. A pleasure." The tactician was as icy-cool as ever.

The door slid open and Ratchet entered, a stack of datapads clutched in his hands. He immediately moved to a chair and sat down, giving the impression he had a hundred other things to do.

"If we could all please be seated?" Prowl said smoothly, and the assembled Autobots all sat down, with Prime at the head of the table.

"Kup," Prime began "I'd like a full report of your altercation with the Decepticons prepared and submitted to Prowl within the next 24 hours. If Megatron is increasing his activities off-Earth we need to come up with a plan to curtail them as soon as possible lest he gains a tactical advantage.

Prowl was next to speak.

"I've scheduled both you and Arcee to commence on roster duty at once. I'm placing you with one of our local patrol units. Smokescreen is nominally in charge but obviously you outrank him. He's been instructed to defer to you in any combat situations but until you learn Earth customs he will remain in charge. Arcee will be placed on Ark Security watch and shadow Bluestreak for the first week, and then will do a week with Hound. I trust that is satisfactory."

Prowl clearly was not seeking Kup's approval on his duty plan, but Kup nodded his agreement anyway. Smokescreen was the perfect candidate to fill Kup in on Earth as very little escaped his notice, and Kup would be able to pass these details on to his youthful recruits. As for Arcee, Bluestreak would provide good company for her, given his affable nature and the fact he was the youngest of the Earthforce.

"What about Hot Rod?" Kup asked. Ironhide answered him.

"Given yer assessments of him I figured he'd spend a couple of days with me, and then I'd pass him on to Wheeljack's team. They're adding a few new defences to The Ark, and they need some construction work done."

"He wont be keen on that," Kup mused, almost to himself.

"The happiness of individual members of your unit is of no concern to me." Prowl's rebuttal was even-toned but it still irked Kup slightly. Nevertheless he nodded and allowed the briefing to continue.

Prowl provided a brief history of the Autobot's time on Earth and a strategic overview of the current deadlocked conflict with the Decepticons. For the most part, Earth was as much of a stalemate as Cybertron, however with far more action. Whilst on Cybertron Shockwave was indecisive and static, preferring life without incident to maintain the huge territorial advantage he had, on Earth Megatron was impulsive and proactive in trying to gain the upper hand. The Autobots however had the advantage of superior numbers and an alliance with the native inhabitants of Earth, the humans.

Prowl mentioned various sub-team of Autobots whom Kup had never heard of, the Aerialbots, Protectobots and Dinobots. He also mentioned important human allies, such as Spike, Carly and Sparkplug Witwicky, Chip Chase and the mayor of the nearest human settlement, Central City.

Kup listened with interest to Prowl's report and then Optimus drew the meeting to a close. Ironhide wandered over to Kup, as the assembled Autobots all drifted out into the corridors of The Ark.

"Sounds like yer team had a rough time up on that asteroid, but hopefully it wont affect their confidence. Didn't really expect them to see that kind of action before their stay had officially started, but ya got out of it with everyone alive. Good job."

"Thanks Ironhide. It was a bad situation to be in. I'm gonna ask Prowl – after he gets my report – exactly what the chances were of running into a Decepticon patrol out there. I'm thinking there might be a bit more to this than random chance."

"You an' me both, Kup. Prowl might be a pain, but if Megatron is up to anything he'll figure it out in no time."

Ironhide took his leave, leaving Kup alone. His thoughts turned back over the last few days and he toyed with various possibilities. Had the Decepticons known in advance of their trip to Earth? If so – how? Had they intercepted a transmission? Was there a spy intercepting information, or, even worse, a traitor within their ranks?

Kup turned his head as he heard the door to the briefing room swish open again. Optimus Prime had returned.

"Kup, it occurred to me that your recruits have not as yet had a formal welcome and introduction into our ranks. I'd very much like to meet them and do just that."

Kup regarded Optimus with curiosity.

"That's a nice gesture Optimus, but doesn't Jazz or Smokescreen normally handle that kind of thing?"

Optimus moved over to a chair and sat down. Leaning forward he pressed the fingers of each hand against each other and spoke thoughtfully.

"Your squad survived a brutal Decepticon ambush on their way here, and it must have been a great shock to them. One of your number will be out for some time. I wanted to speak to your squad myself to be sure that there will be no lasting trauma from this incident, and perhaps more importantly, no thoughts of retaliation. I trust your assessment of all of them Kup, but I do not believe that any of them will have seen combat as visceral as that which occurred on that asteroid."

Kup nodded slightly. Optimus' prolonged hibernation on Earth had clearly not affected his reserves of wisdom and judgement. Kup's team were tough, but some reassurance from the legendary Autobot Commander might be just what they needed to ensure that they could put the drama of the last few days behind them.

"I think that's a good idea Optimus. Ratchet thinks Blurr will be out of commission for a while, but Hot Rod should be back on his feet later on today."

"Excellent. I'll arrange to formally welcome them into the Autobot ranks later on this week. In the meantime, I hope you all familiarise yourself with the base and the crew. Make yourselves at home."

With that Optimus rose and left the room. Kup was left alone with his thoughts and to ponder the events of the last few days. His team had arrived and were, thankfully, alive. Now the challenge was to try and adapt to working with a tight-knit team of Autobot legends. He hoped his recruits would be up to it.


	6. Intermission

"So I heard the femme is meant to be an amazing shot. Better than Bluestreak and Mirage put together."

"Hmmmph."

"That can't be true can it? Bluestreak can put a hole through a washer from half a mile away!"

"Hmmmph."

"Sunny are you even listening to me? Sunny? Earth to Sunstreaker!"

Irritated, Sunstreaker put down the delicate cloth he was using to wax the greaves of his shinguards and turned to fix Sideswipe with a contemptuous look.

"I. Don't. Care. About. The. Nuggets." His attention immediately returned to his greaves, as he waxed them with a far greater degree of accuracy and a far steadier hand than any Autobot gunner possessed, past, present or future.

Sideswipe frowned momentarily, but then his expression picked up again and he continued breezily chatting.

"Sure ya do! Isn't it exciting to have some new nuggets around? Having Kup around to shout at us and call us morons in that lovable way he has?"

"Correction. Call you a moron."

"Maybe it's one of those things best left unsaid in your case, given how obvious it is. It'd be like calling Prime the leader or Ratchet grumpy, or the Dinobots stupid or me… well, red." Sideswipe mused jokingly to himself, his chin between his thumb and forefinger in a mock thinking pose.

"Not listening."

"Sure you are! Apparently the flame-covered one has designed his own alt-mode. I've heard it's like the one Homer designed on the Simpsons!" Sideswipe chuckled and slapped Sunstreaker heartily on the back, drawing the patented Sunstreaker Death Glare.

Sideswipe - who received the death glare on approximately twenty occasions daily - completely ignored it and stood up to pace idly around the twins' quarters. To Sunstreaker's chagrin, the red Lamborghini had apparently recently mastered the art of pacing and talking at the same time.

"Word in the rec room is that the one who we scraped up and poured into the med-bay, Blurr, is the fastest Autobot going. Faster than Wheeljack or Windcharger!"

Sunstreaker tutted in mild exasperation. "Wasn't quick enough to avoid getting slagged by a moron like Ramjet though was he?" he sneered contemptuously.

Sideswipe shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess that's why they're here, a chance to learn how to defend themselves from the big bad Decepticons from true Autobot fighters on Earth! Like the legendary Sideswipe!"

"You're an idiot. Why don't you recharge? Your mouth must be draining your power core."

Sideswipe was frustrated. Sunstreaker just wasn't taking the bait today he thought to himself. Normally Sunny was easy to wind up concerning nuggets, but admittedly he was four millions years out of practice when it came to nugget initiation. The Dinobots were a bit too tough to really pull anything on. The Aerialbots were too tightly-knit and the Protectobots… they were just so _dull_. Well, except Blades. Blades liked a good ruck as much as the next warrior, and as a bonus he always seemed to wind that little punk Slingshot up. Yeah, Blades was a good mech, thought Sideswipe to himself before a spot of word association caused inspiration to strike.

 _Blade!_ That was how to get Sunstreaker wound up! Sideswipe smiled to himself – oh he was a genius! He sat down on his berth and prepared to deliver the perfect line.

"I hear the pilot fancies himself as a swordsman."

Sunstreaker perked up a bit, but his optics narrowed ever so slightly.

"Oh does he now? Thought he was a neutral or a coward or something along those lines. What does he need a sword for?"

In fairness, Sideswipe had only heard from Cliffjumper that the pilot had mentioned owning a sword to Red Alert when Red had – for whatever lunatic reason – decided to try and pull rank on a neutral that had just seen his friend bisected and was all alone in a strange new environment.

"Dunno, Sunny. But I heard he has one nonetheless."

"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do then Sides. I'm gonna march up this pilot, challenge him to a duel and then treat him to the most severe humiliation of his life."

Sideswipe almost cackled with glee.

"Really?"

"No. Don't be an idiot."

Sideswipe's face fell.

"What, why not?"

Irritated, Sunstreaker delicately folded his polishing cloth away and then swung himself up onto his recharge berth.

"Because numbskull," he began, "if Big Bad Sunstreaker carves a chunk out of a neutral and probably gets thrown in the brig for his troubles where do you think the neutral goes to get patched up?"

"Med-bay?"

"Yep, med-bay. And who runs med-bay with a version of tyranny so powerful that it would make Megatron go 'steady on, that's a bit of a power-trip you're on there?'"

"Ratchet."

"Correct again. And when Ratchet extracts the information about who put yours truly up to this, _which he will almost certainly do_ , who will Ratchet put on our case to make our lives even more miserable than they are?"

"Oh. Prowl."

Reality sunk in for Sideswipe. Whilst he was hoping some fresh blood around the place would provide scope for mischief and perhaps even a scrap or two, he knew that the arrival of the nuggets was Prowl's idea, and Prowl had a talent for torturing mischievous Lamborghinis that went beyond the pale, and quite possibly should be reported to the humans' Geneva Convention.

Resigned to his fate, Sideswipe mirrored Sunstreaker's action and swung himself up onto his recharge berth. A grin returned to his face and he turned his head to the side to face his twin.

"It's a good thing I'm here to talk you out of doing stupid stuff, Sunny, you violent maniac."

"Shut _up_ you stupid slagger."

"See what I mean about that temper? You're lucky I'm here!"

"Sideswipe, _shut up_!"

"Mwahahahaha!"

Outside the twins room, Hoist and Grapple who were walking past at that precise moment overheard Sideswipe's laughter and shared uneasy glances. Any Autobot worth their salt knew that a happy Sideswipe was a terrifying proposition for any Autobot not accustomed to pranks. They both quickened their step and scurried off into the interior of The Ark.

 _Author's notes:-_

 _So this is just a short little intermission. It was fun to write (as Sunny and Sides often are) and hopefully helped to illustarate a little bit of the mood on The Ark, where I think it is somewhat fair to write some of the Autobots (and Sideswipe is a good example) as possibly suffering from a little bit of cabin fever._

 _I might throw a couple more of these intermissions in at some points (I'm toying with the idea of Swoop reporting back on his initial meeting with Arcee and Springer to the rest of the Dinobots)._

 _In the meantime, work is already underway on the next chapter, which is planned to revisit Hot Rod's POV._

 _Thanks again to everyone who took the time to read, if you can spare us a follow or even better a favourite or review, I'll be eternally grateful._


	7. Chapter 6

"I'm pretty sure you can hear me. You're safe, at Autobot Headquarters on Earth. Your friends are fine. My name is Ratchet, please don't try to move, you've been badly injured."

Blurr instinctively checked his internal clock to see how long he had been unconscious, and no response was had. His optics didn't work either. Instinctively he tried to move and found that he couldn't. He was helpless, and still.

"I asked you not to move." The voice sounded a fraction sterner now. "Please try to remain calm. We've had to strip you down to save your life. You had shrapnel in the spark casing, but we've removed it. In order for you to heal I have to bring you online for a couple of hours each day. I promise I will get you through this."

For many Autobots, being still and having the chance to rest was a luxury they craved but could ill-afford. Life on Cybertron was a case of always being on the move, trying to set-up new short-term bases, hunting out small deposits of energon and the occasional hit and run operation against Shockwave's forces. Many of the Autobots longed for respite and rest - but not Blurr. He never had, and he never would.

It was odd how people began to regard certain aspects of their character as "a way of life" as they would often refer to it. Hot Rod, for example, sought action. Ultra Magnus likewise based himself on discipline and people assumed that for Blurr, speed and motion were ways of life. They were not – to Blurr speed and motion were life. They were his constants ever since he had rolled off the assembly line, gifted through some freak quirk of fate to be inherent to his very being. Through his peaceful early life, through to his sporting endeavours, his wasted years until his chance encounter with Hot Rod and subsequently (and reluctantly at first) to his efforts for the Autobot cause, Blurr had been almost perpetually in motion.

Motion was the thing Blurr went back to when he felt at his lowest. He was never the strongest Autobot, or the best fighter. Whilst he was pretty sure he was no coward he often felt nervous, afraid or panicked in tense situations. However he knew that he could do things that few others could, achieve speeds undreamt of by other Transformers, and he pushed himself each and every day to use his gifts to ensure the survival of himself and of his friends and comrades during a bitter war that brought only despair and death every day.

He thought briefly of how other robots would get annoyed with him, for how he spoke, or how he zipped from one place to the enxt, whilst he had to hold back his annoyances at how slow he thought they all moved and how long it took them to make decisions. Even when they thought they were being hasty, it seemed like aeons for Blurr and he would get fidgety, which they often perceived as him being rude or panicked.

Now, as he lay, in darkness, unable to see, move or even speak, Blurr felt as alone and frightened as he ever had done. He didn't recognise the voices around him. He knew the name Ratchet, most Autobots did, as it was a name that carried a huge amount of reverence within the Cybertronian ranks, however he had never met the famous doctor. There were two other voices engaged in discussion with Ratchet. One had a softer-spoken voice, discussing medical procedures and updates and deferring to Ratchet in almost everything, while the other had a slightly more manic and enthusiastic tone, and seemed to take a certain amount of enjoyment in suggesting ridiculous augmentations to patients, procedures and weapons. Finally, Ratchet called the discussion off.

"That's enough, Wheeljack. For the moment we're far too scarce on resources to consider any modifications to our patients or to build expensive medical equipment based on a theory of yours."

"There's a whole shuttle sat outside waiting to be stripped for parts!" was the response from the 'bot called Wheeljack.

"It's not our shuttle, and I don't think the pilot will be sticking around. I've asked three times to see him, and he's avoided me. He's not military anyway, we can't stop him leaving."

"But Ratchet-"

"Enough. I have patients to attend to."

The discussion over, Blurr stopped listening and was again alone with his thoughts. His friends were alive, Ratchet had told him that, and Springer was evidently still around also. Blurr was relieved that the whole squad had made it. The pursuit and subsequent engagement with the Decepticons had been a scary combat, and Blurr had been forced to take ridiculous risks, based on the assumption that the Decepticons were not familiar with his gift of speed. Kup had advised only sporadic use as the squad had been entrenched in their defensive positions, but Blurr had risked himself once too often and been caught. He remembered searing pain in his chest, like his spark was about to explode and then he could only recall flashes.

 _Arcee and Springer charging. His radio failing. The stars in the distance, and the odd orange or yellow glow as laser fire illuminated the corners of his optics. A white roof inside a shuttle. Trying to scream. A kindly voice. Gentle hands. Pain. Wondering how death would feel, and if he would be welcomed to the Afterspark._

Blurr wanted to get up and run, run as fast as he could and hopefully leave the memories of the pain and the fear behind him but he was trapped. Helpless, and still. A cold piece of lifeless metal on a slab, apparently in a medibay on a planet he had never visited before. Blurr wasn't dead, but he was surely another victim of the war.

As Blurr's thoughts turned inwards and despair threatened to overtake him, he heard the gentle voice from before addressing someone.

"I promise you he is conscious, he cannot respond to you but he is aware. I think some friendly voices would be important for him. I can't imagine how it feels to be helpless and surrounded by strangers. Just talk to him, keep him company. Ratchet says it will aid the healing."

"Of course, First Aid. Thank you for messaging me." Blurr would have smiled, had he a mouth. It was Arcee's voice! His spark, which had felt like it might fade out only a few seconds ago now felt like it was burning Matrix Blue deep in his core.

Due to their fuel economy being amongst the best of the Autobots admittedly sparse forces, Blurr and Arcee had worked many a mission together, despite, certainly initially, being very under-qualified and inexperienced to do so. They had backed each other up, learned through trial and error and become firm friends. He wanted to hear how she was. He could hear her light footsteps approaching to his right.

"Hey Blurr. You had us all worried for a while there. I'm so glad you're going to be okay."

Her voice was at first hesitant, as if she wasn't sure he could listen. She paused briefly and Blurr thought he could hear her move slightly.

"Keep going," came the soft voice that Arcee had identified as First Aid a few moments before.

"So, we're on Earth, at the Ark," Arcee continued, her voice rising and becoming more steady. "Everybody is okay. Kup and Hot Rod were pretty banged up, and the shuttle is just about toast, but we made it here, thanks to you."

Blurr lay there, listening to her voice as she told him about their journey, about new friends she had made with the Autobots, about how Blurr would like her friends Bluestreak and Hound, and how Hot Rod had already annoyed Prowl and had taken to hurtling around the Ark in the alt mode he had designed for himself and Wheeljack – the 'bot from before, Blurr surmised – had eagerly added all sorts of dangerous modifications to. She spoke of how easily Kup seemed to slip back into being part of an elite military unit, and how Arcee had finished third in a shooting contest recently, behind Bluestreak and someone called Mirage.

Eventually, Ratchet had informed Arcee that he had to once again put Blurr back into stasis-lock but he would be re-activated for a couple of hours each day. Arcee promised Blurr that she, Hot Rod and Kup would come speak to him daily and that Springer also wanted to talk to him before he left.

As Blurr felt the power slipping from his body as Ratchet put him gently into stasis lock, he felt a surge of relief pass through him. He had thought himself helpless and still. But whilst he may have to lie still for a while, he was never helpless while he had friends like these. On reflection, he thought to himself, if he had to be nearly killed to save his friends, he would again do it without question. And then he was silent, and still.

 _(Author's notes - apologies for the lack of updates. A combination of life getting in the way and an unsatisfactory (and ultimately abandoned) Hot Rod chapter meant for delays. The other day I realised that I've never really made much of an effort to understand Blurr, and subsequently this chapter was born._

 _I've never been a massive Blurr fan, he seemed like just another character with an annoying trait (like Wheelie) but I actually quite enjoyed writing this from his perspective. For one thing - I didn't have to do "Blurr-speak" which I'm dreading when he gets back on his feet in the story, but for another, he's actually a really brave and unique character if you think about him for a while and try to see the world from his perspective._

 _I'm thinking I might have to finally get down to the oft-hinted at Ratchet and Springer discussion, so if anyone does read this, I hope to give you some more content soon, I promise. As ever any reviews/follows/faves would be received gratefully and provide encouragement for more!)_


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